Automobile gas producer



March 17, 1925;

J. wf PARKER AUTOMOBILE GAS -PRDUCER Filed Aug. 29, 1921 Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

UNI-Tianvl STATES JAMES WILLIAM PARKER, oi;1 Hann-ow, ENGLAND,

Y' AUTOMOBIL-E GAS PRODUCER.

Application sied August 29, 1921. 4sei-'iai No; 496,663.

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS F THE ACT OFMARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. L., 1313.)

y l5 vehicles, motor boats, and the like, bypassing air and steam through an incandescent mass of carbonaceous material such as for example coke or coal in a gas producer surmounted by a feed hopper from which the l, fuel is fed by gravity, the air and water being warmed bythe heat generated, andthe gas being drawn off from the hottest part of the mass of fuel. v

Insuch vapparatus it has been proposed to arrange a water heater at thebase of the producer, and it has also been proposed to arrange in the body of the carbonaceoue material a heater inthe form of a rotary vtube provided with jet outlets.

According to this invention a boiler is located in the base of the producer and is mounted in or near the fire-grate and has at its upper end a nozzle or opening for the escape of steam into the mass of incany descent fuel, theboiler projecting into the fuel a suflicient distance to be properly heated, and being fed from beneath by gravity with water from a vessel, wherein the water level is maintained constant by means of a float valve` or other device serving to control the supply to the vessel by gravity from a supply tank.

The mass of carbonaceous mate-rial within the fire-box is replenished automatically by gravity from a hopper, and the air, before its introduction into the mass of carbonaceous material, is preferably warmed by being caused to pass through a jacketl space surrounding yor in contact with the wall of the fire-box; whilstthe fuel gas is preferably caused to leave thehottest part of the incandescent mass in av genera-l upi wardr direction.

v In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical section of one form of producer made in accordance with this invention. Fig; 2 is a vertical section showing a 1nodilied construction. Figure 3 is an enlarge-d vertical sectional view of the supplyv vessel and lower poition of the chamber.

vIn the apparatus shown in Figure 1 the fire-box consists of a vertical cylindrical chamber z formed of or lined with fire-clay,

-surmounted by a feed-hopper Z) for'the solid vfuel which. as it gradually burns away within the lire-box, descends by gravity into the latter. The fire-box is surrounded by a jacket space c to which air is admitted at its botto-mas at d and from which the air, warmed by contact withl the inner wall of the acket, enters the fire-box through holes `e at the upper end so as to pass thence downwards through the solid fuel from above the level wherethe -mass of fuel is kept in a state of incandescencc.V The bottomof the fire-box o, is furnished with a fire-grate upon which the solid fuelrests and which surmounts a space closed by a removable ashepan rr/A.; la fire-door Vthrough which the fire can be lighted, being provided at the lower part of the fire-box wall togfacilitate the periodical clearing out of the ashes.

In the centre of the fire-grate is mounted a small boiler 7L having at its upper end a ynozzle vor opening c' for the escape of steam into the mass of incandescent fuel which rests upon the grate f and into which the boiler h projects a sufficient distance to insure its being heated to the. requisite temperature: this boiler h is fed from beneath by gravity Iwith water by a pipe from a vessel 7c wherein the water level is maintained constant by means of a float valve or other device serving to control the supply to the vessel by gravity from a supply tank.

The mass of solid fuel within the fireboxiis kept in a state of incandescence for some distance from the fire-grate upwards, and from a level corresponding substantially with the hottest point, a gas delivery pipe 0 leads centrally upwards through the mass of fuel and out through the wall of` the fire-,box c at or near the top of the latter.

The hopper b may be closed at its top, and furnished with a movable internal door b for temporarily supporting'the mass of fuel within the hopperwhen the lire-door is opened to; enablelthe tire-box to be `Cleared out.

In the form of apparatus shown in Figure 2 the fire-box consists of an upright tube of J-sliape 'formed of or linedwith ireolay, the longer limb a of the tube being 'surmounted by the feedrhopper .Whilst the; gas delivery pipe 0 leads from the top of theshorter limb a2; a grid '79 is interposed between the summit-level of the solid fuel in this shorter limb e2 et the tube and gas collecting space (j immediately beneath the inlet of the gas delivery pipe 0; Whilst a small boiler 7i, fed With water asin the previously described construction from a vessel 1, is mounted Within the lower part of the bend ot the l tube above a recess or chamber r projecting beneath the bend and serving asan ash-pan.

The air, Which. may be causedinitially to circulate througl'r a jacket enclosing the d tube but not shown, is admitted by the pipe lf to the upperyend of the longer limb a of they latter, and the mass of solid materialWithi-n the tube is kept in a state oli incandescence lfrom theA upper end' of the shorter-limb ft2' to a point about halt Way up in tlie height ofthe longerlimb a. The curvature of the bend, and length of: the shorter limb of the J tube, should be such as to insure thatthis limb a2 is kept filled with fuel owing to the Apressure exerted by the mass of material descending gradually in the longer limb' a, and that thetemperature' of the mass of incandescent material at its summit-level Within the shorter limb shall be maintained substantially equal to the-maximum temperature Within the tire-box. As is obvious from the ,first paragraph ofthe specification, a mixture of air and steam is used to generate the gas, the air being' adm ittedthrough d passing to the top of the jacket and entering the fire bei; through the holes e and passing downwardlyitlnough the fuel mingling with the steam passing ot from the boiler 7L.

A lire-door may be provided near the lower part of. the bend,preferably; in the shorter limb.

ln Figure 3 a supply vessel 7s is shown as containing a loat 2 provided with a zvalve 3 for controlling the inlet ofi' Watendfrom a source of supply through the pipe 4f.. The float valve iinaintains a constant level ot' liquid in the v ssel fr: in .accordance rWith the Welly known principle. Devices ot this kind are largely used in earburetors for internal combustionl engines. l

Ain automobile gas producer having combined therewith a small boiler located in the baseV of the producer and mounted near the lire-grate, having at its/upper end.v an opening for theeseape of steam into the n'iass` of incandescent uel, the-boiler projecting into the uel asu'lificient distance to be properly heated, and being ted from beneath by gravity with Waterfrom a. vessel wherein the Water level is maintained constant by means of a floatvalve serving to control the supply to saidvvessel by gravity from a supply tank, andI means for ydelivering the gas generated .from thehottest-zone of the incandescent fuel Within the generator. i

In testimony .whereof aiix my signature.

Jar/ins Winner-immens. 

